THE BEST INDIE BACKGROUND MUSIC OF ALL TIME

Whether you’re the co-host of a lifestyle podcast, directing a space-western flick, creating a television advert or something else entirely, indie music may just be the thing you need to add a little colour to your next project.

It’s a wide-ranging genre of music with something for everyone, meaning we might just have the perfect track to take your production to the next level.

Below, we explore some of the best indie background music tracks in our catalogue.

Rather explore our collection of indie background music for yourself? No worries. Visit our indie discovery page to start your journey.

Dreamy Indie Background Music

If you’re anything like us, then you listen to indie music for escapism; in other words, you expect the raspy vocals, wholesome instruments and silky rhythms to transport you to another world.

For obvious reasons, we like to call these songs dreamy indie music tracks.

Here are our top three dreamy indie background songs:

‘Live Like The Kids’ - Samuel Johnson, Laura Robertson & Luke O'Dea

Johnson, Robertson and O’Dea’s ‘Live Like the Kids’ is dreamy and then some.

Fizzy synths and warm guitars come together to trigger nostalgia for summer days gone by.

‘China Shop’ - Cody Page

Dreams are often unexpected – they take you from one absurd situation to the next.

Brooklyn-based producer Cody Page encapsulates the mystery of the dream world in his psychedelic dreamy indie hit ‘China Shop’.

‘Eruptions’ - Tom Peters & Gavin Harrison

If ‘Eruptions’ by Peters and Harrison was a dream, it would be overflowing with emotion.

Piano and strings amalgamate to evoke all the feels in this dreamy indie track.

Aggressive Indie Background Music

Indie is innately feisty as it goes against the grain to evoke authentic responses from the listener.

However, some of our indie background tracks possess a little more edge than others.

Here are our top three aggressive indie background songs:

‘Teeth Marks’  - Cahir O'Doherty

Cahir O’Doherty’s punchy track ‘Teeth Marks’ is a whirlwind listen: it lifts you off your feet and sends you straight into oblivion.

How? By pairing hard-hitting male vocals with epic guitars in a manner redolent of the 90s indie scene.

‘Don’t Remember Last Night’ - Julian Emery & Adam Noble

As the name suggests, Emery and Noble’s ‘Don’t Remember Last Night’ is the musical equivalent of that mental rewind you do after waking from a messy night.

Needless to say, it’s a sensation that’s much more fun to experience in audio form.

‘Fight For Who I Am’ - James Pickering & Matthew Clark

Aggressive indie music is ideal for channeling anger, as it’s essentially a safe way of throwing fists.

‘Fight For Who I Am’ by Pickering and Clark is a song that empowers you like no other.

Quirky Indie Background Music

Indie music emanates from those artists on the outskirts of the mainstream who have something a little more eccentric to offer than most.

But those who favour an especially idiosyncratic sound fall into the quirky indie music box – a space where anything goes.

Here are our top three quirky indie background songs:

‘Free Yourself’ - Lorenzo De Feo & Matthew Wells

You may not necessarily associate indie music with the dancefloor until you hear De Feo and Wells’ ‘Free Yourself’.

This electro-indie track is groovy and addictive; it mixes bouncy drums, hooky synths and sunny vocals.

‘No More Heartache’ - Lorenzo De Feo & Matthew Wells

Another De Feo and Wells track that totally rocks our world is ‘No More Heartache’.

The reflective song unites bold guitars, otherworldly synths and soaring male vocals in the most unusual yet enticing way.

‘Smooth Service’ - Josh Oliver

Josh Oliver’s ‘Smooth Service’ is essentially the indie version of a lullaby, something we’re totally into.

Male vocals and mellow guitars make for a song that twinkles like the stars in the sky. Who knew indie music could be so tranquil?

Moody Indie Background Music

As you can already tell, the indie music genre is multifaceted, and one of the more popular aspects of the genre is the more moody side.

We’re talking the kind of tracks that are sour and occasionally sulky in that too-cool-for-school kinda way – gloomy vocals, stormy percussion, pensive strings and euphoric beats included.

Here are our top three moody indie background music tracks:

‘Cult Leader’ - Paddy Conn & Angelina Dove

Paddy Conn and Angelina Dove’s ‘Cult Leader’ is quintessential moody indie music.

Led by temptress-style vocals, the haunting, slightly trippy song pushes the listener down the rabbit hole and into Wonderland.

‘Don’t Wait Up’ - Andy Huckvale

Moody indie music isn’t necessarily down in the dumps – take, for instance, Andy Huckvale’s ‘Don’t Wait Up’.

The singer brings a little energy to the track by pairing his melancholic vocals with a sunny beat to create a unique sound.

‘Bury Your Heart Here’ - Nick Kingswell

Occasionally, moody indie music has a country-folk twang. We guess it makes sense considering that both sub-genres are contemplative.

Exhibit A: Nick Kingswell’s soft, heartfelt ‘Bury Your Heart Here’, a track led by engaging male vocals and storytelling strings.

Upbeat Indie Background Music

There’s something truly refreshing about an upbeat indie music track: they're the music equivalent to a cold beverage on a hot day.

What exactly is an upbeat indie song? More often than not, they consist of upbeat rhythms layered under indie vocals and instruments.

Here are our top three upbeat indie background music tracks:

‘I Believe The Dark’ - Aidan Hogg & Liam Quinn

Aidan Hogg and Liam Quinn’s ‘I Believe The Dark’ is a dance-inspired upbeat indie music track that’s thrilling from beginning to end.

Bright synths and intense male vocals fuse in a way that allows the listener to forget all of their troubles.

‘In the Dead of Night’ - Julian Emery, Cenzo Townshend & James Irvin

From the get-go, Emery, Townshend and Irvin’s ‘In the Dead of Night’ throws the listener into the deep end with its hair-raising percussion and boisterous vocals.

Now, that’s how you do an upbeat indie track.

‘Gonna Make You Notice’ - Tristan Ivemy

‘Gonna Make You Notice’ by award-winning indie-rock producer Tristan Ivemy is an upbeat indie song that manages to live up to its name with its authoritative male vocals, dynamic guitars and strapping percussion.

Don’t you just love a track that demands your attention?

Best Indie Background Music – Inspiration From The Movies

Wanting more inspiration?

Below, we take you on a trip through the musical world of movies and explore some of the best indie background music used in famous films. Let's take a look!

(500) Days of Summer (2009)

An excuse to talk about our favourite romance? We’ll take it! Especially since the indie soundtrack to Marc Webb’s (500) Days of Summer is one of our favourite aspects of the film.

In fact, indie-rock is one of the reasons why Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel) fall in love with each other.

During the film’s iconic lift scene, Summer overhears Tom listening to The Smiths’ ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’ through his headphones.

She proceeds to grab his attention by announcing that she’s a fan of the English rock band. From this moment on, Tom becomes infatuated with Summer. Oh, how we love a diegetic music moment.

Drive (2011)

Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive is a masterpiece, and so is its soundtrack.

By far the most memorable music moment from the film is the opening credits scene that introduces us to the setting (Los Angeles), the main character Driver (played by Ryan Gosling), and the vibe (very electro-80s).

Kavinsky’s ‘Nightcall’ ties all of the elements of the opening scene together in a way that grips viewers and encourages them to stick around to find out more about the mysterious, titular anti-hero.

Plus, the song's lyrics – particularly the line that goes, “There’s something inside you, it’s hard to explain” – provides viewers with a hint that there are many layers to Gosling’s character.

Lost in Translation (2003)

Back in the ‘00s, there was an infectious indie-rock spirit that seeped into a range of productions, including Sofia Coppola’s 2003 silver screen sensation Lost in Translation.

For the movie that pivots around Bill Murray’s character Bob and Scarlett Johansson's character Charlotte, Coppola worked with music connoisseurs Kevin Shields, Brian Reitzell and Roger Joseph Manning Jr. on the movie’s soundtrack.

For the memorable final scene of the film, Coppola and co. opted for The Jesus and Mary Chain’s ‘Just Like Honey’.

The indie music track exaggerates the emotions of the two characters in this touching moment; thus, viewers walk away from the film feeling all kinds of emotions. The influence indie music can have over our feelings is quite something.

Looking to Read More About Music?

If you enjoyed reading up about music, don’t stop here! Visit The Edit to discover inspiration, expertise and news stories, all of which put music at the forefront and centre.

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